Grand jury indicts 9 people in NC kidnapping case

The Associated Press

Posted:
04/22/2014 01:23:46 PM MDT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal authorities say nine people have been indicted in the kidnapping of a North Carolina prosecutor's father.

A grand jury handed up the indictment Tuesday. It says the defendants kidnapped Frank Janssen from his home in Wake Forest on April 3. Janssen was driven roughly 400 miles to Atlanta, where he was held for five days before being rescued by the FBI.

Authorities say the kidnapping was retaliation for Janssen's daughter's prosecution of Kelvin Melton, a high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang being held in a North Carolina prison. The FBI says Melton used a smuggled mobile phone to stay in contact with the kidnappers from his cell.